Keeping the Darkness at Bay
by FairyVampire
Summary: What if Anakin had made different choices in ROTS starting from when he was about to kill Dooku? And what if Obi-wan and Siri still harbored feelings for eachother? Would they get the happy ending they've always wanted? Anidala and Siriwan
1. Chapter 1

A/N: hey guys! This is my first Star Wars fanfic. I hope you all like it. This is meant to be a short story that will lead up to a longer one about the Skywalker family and the twins as teenagers. I will update as fast as possible, but school is really hectic right now.

Disclaimer: I don't own star wars. If I did, I would start making the third trilogy and cast myself as Mara Jade.

Keeping the Darkness at Bay

Chapter 1- Boy or Girl?

Anakin stared down at Count Dooku, the light of the two lightsaber's reflecting off his face and showing the real fear that Dooku had of being killed. _It serves him right,_ Anakin thought. He was torn between killing the man or putting him in stun cuffs. Chancellor Palpatine sat there ordering him to kill Dooku and part of him wanted to, but part of Anakin was telling him that, no, he should not kill Dooku.

"He is too dangerous to be kept alive, Anakin," Palpatine implored. "You must get rid of him." Anakin wavered for a moment before he heard another voice giving him advice; this one in his mind. _There is no need to kill the Count, young one, it is better for him to die at the hands of justice than at the hands of a Jedi._ The voice was eerily familiar and Anakin almost instantly placed it to Master Qui-gon Jinn. Another thought came to him at this moment. A memory, of sorts, of something Obi-wan had said to him. _If you can avoid killing someone by your own hand, even if it is justified, then do not kill them._

With a gasp of clarity, Anakin turned off both sabers. He realized that he had almost killed a defenseless person. Killing defenseless people or innocents was a surefire path to the dark side. He made a vow to himself then and there that he would never kill an innocent again as he had on Tatooine or someone who was defenseless as he had almost just done. As he bound Dooku, he felt as if something had been lifted from his mind.

_Ani, I'm pregnant._ Those words repeated in his mind over and over again as Anakin lay trying to fall asleep that night. He had to be the happiest man in the galaxy. Not only was he married to the most beautiful person in the galaxy, but he would soon have a child. A child! A family! The chance to raise and pamper his child as he had never been. With these thoughts, he fell into a deep sleep that was soon to be disturbed.

_"Anakin!" Padmé shouted in pain. He could see her clearly, but could not reach out to her to help her. He wanted to reassure her that he would be there for her; she wasn't alone. Unfortunately, all he could do was watch as she thrashed in pain, calling for him. He watched, horrified as she slowly let go of life while giving birth._

Anakin woke with a gasp. He looked over to reassure himself that Padmé was there beside him and alive. She was both and he took a deep breath to calm himself as relief washed over him. The vision was troubling and part of him wanted to rush out of the room and tell someone, but he couldn't. No one knew of his marriage to the beautiful senator and to tell someone of his vision would be to disclose their secret. But, what if it hadn't been a vision at all? What if he only had this nightmare because he was just as worried about being a father as he was excited?

He thought on that possibility for a moment before he assumed a meditative position on the bed. He immersed himself into the force, desperate for answers. Nothing came to him during his first frantic search for answers from the force so he slowed down his thought process and calmed himself down. Once he was fully calm, he felt something he had not felt in the room before. There were slight traces of darkness in the room surrounding both him and his wife. The force whispered to him that it was this shroud that had caused the nightmares, not it, and that the nightmare was not to be trusted. He still held some doubts about the falseness of the nightmare, but he had more pressing matters to attend to. There was a darkness surrounding him and his angel and he wanted it gone.

Anakin focused on his happiest memories with his wife. He pulled the love and happiness from them to him. He used these light and uplifting feelings push away at the darkness. The darkness, not quite so weak, pushed back at the shield Anakin was attempting to put up. Anakin, not one to be deterred, pulled together every happy thought he could recall and shoved. The darkness was swept away with a vengeance and a slight breeze.

Padmé started slightly as the breeze passed over her and looked up at Anakin groggily. She put a hand on his arm as he lay back down next to her.

"What's wrong, Ani?" she whispered lovingly.

"Nothing, sweetheart. It was just a nightmare," he replied smoothly. His angel's eyes widened in worry.

"Was it about the baby?" she asked. Anakin considered lying to her, but dismissed the idea almost instantly. Padmé was someone who wanted to know all of the outcomes: good, bad, or otherwise. She was tough and would only be upset by his silence.

"Don't you lie to me, Anakin Skywalker," she whispered fiercely when his silence seemed to be too long. Her words only solidified his belief that he would be in for it if she ever found out that he had lied to her.

"No, it wasn't about the baby," he reassured. She gave him a look that clearly said to spit the rest of it out. "I—I had a nightmare that you died during childbirth. And that I wasn't there for you when you were giving birth. You kept shouting for me and I never showed. What kind of husb—?" Padmé stopped his words with a kiss.

"You are a wonderful husband, Ani. And it was only a nightmare. I know you. You would go through hell and back if you had to just to be at my side when I gave birth to our beautiful baby boy," she told him. Her last sentence made him smirk.

"And what makes you think it is a boy? I for one think you are going to have a girl; a stubborn little princess that is just like her mother," he countered. She raised her eyebrows at him. "I have not looked to determine the sex of our child with the force. I just think that you are going to have a girl."

"Motherly intuition makes me think it is a boy. And what would be wrong with having a boy?" Padmé challenged him.

"Absolutely nothing. But with a girl, she will be our little princess," he responded. "Tell me; however, what you think would be wrong with a girl?" Anakin smirked at his angel as he turned her line of questioning back on her. Their banter continued for a bit more before both fell into a peaceful sleep.


	2. a decision is made

A/N: I'm glad you guys liked it. Anyhow, I am eventually going to add Siri into this fanfic. I am in process of getting the Jedi Apprentice books, but have not yet read them. I am telling you this to warn you that Siri may be a little OOC in my story and I apologize for that.

Disclaimer: I don't own star wars.

Chapter 2- A Decision is made

Anakin woke the next day to find that he had slept in and that his wife had already left for work. He had felt a moment of panic when he first woke without her, but it was soon washed away by the note she had left him on the nightstand.

He rolled out of bed groggily, still somewhat in a daze from his first night of sleep back in his own bed in months. He showered, dressed and ate breakfast while he thought about what he was going to do that day. He had a meeting with the council later in the afternoon and was thinking of tinkering with his starfighter until then. If he was lucky and the council meeting let out early enough, then he could order something in from a restaurant for him and Padmé. It had been far too long since he had spent time with his wife and now she was six months pregnant!

Artoo rolled up to him and twittered softly for a moment. Anakin smiled at the droid before standing up to put his dishes away.

"Yes, we are going to go work on the starfighter. Just give me a minute to get these away and we can go," he replied. It was amazing how close he and Artoo had become; he treated the droid as if it were a human instead of a machine most of the time. With those final thoughts, he and Artoo left for the hanger.

Anakin had worked on his fighter all morning and was satisfied with the minor changes made. With his adjustments, the ship would be able to go just a bit faster while in hyperspace. While not much, every little bit counted on long trips. He would have to find a way to convince Obi-wan to let him make that change on his starfighter as well. Though convincing Obi-wan to let him go anywhere near his fighter, let alone make adjustments, was like trying to build a lightsaber without a crystal.

"Do you know what the meeting is about, Master?" Anakin asked as he fell in step beside Obi-wan.

"How many times have I told you that you can call me Obi-wan? I am not your master anymore, Anakin," Obi-wan teased his former padawan. "And no, I do not know why the council wishes to speak with you. Even if I did know, you know I could not tell you without being reprimanded." Anakin smiled at his former master and long-time friend.

"Old habits die hard, Master. And no one would have to know that you had given me future notice. You know I would never tell anyone that you had forewarned me of a council meeting topic," Anakin persisted.

"Tell someone, you may not. But know, I would," Yoda said as he too joined their walk to the meeting.

"Master Yoda," both men greeted the little green alien on the floating chair. Shortly after that they reached the council chamber and walked in. Yoda and Obi-wan took their seats amongst the masters while Anakin came to stand before them.

"Your place in the order, the topic of this meeting it is. A decision regarding your place, we have come to," Master Yoda announced. He was not happy with the decision being made. He had agreed with Obi-wan on the matter, but they had been outvoted by the rest of the council.

"You will not be granted the rank of Jedi Master," Master Windu continued when it was clear that Yoda was not going to deliver the news. "But you will have a seat on the council with us." Anakin stood in silence for a few moments. To be granted a position on the council was something that all padawans and knights wished for; but it was a slap in the face to not be granted the title of master at the same time.

"How can you do this?" Anakin asked angrily. He tried, and failed, to keep his anger and hostility at the news in check. It seemed like his anger and aggression were always just beneath the surface nowadays; ready to be unleashed at any time. Now, apparently, was one of those times. "To be accepted onto the council without the rank of master? Why would you not give me the rank of master? If you thought it was because I was not ready, then you would not allow me to be on the council. Do you not trust me? Why would you do this to me?" He breathed deeply at the end of his tirade, finally successful in controlling his temper. He turned to Master Yoda for his answer only to notice that instead of annoyance as he had expected, Yoda seemed almost sympathetic.

"Agree on this decision, all of us did not," he assured Skywalker. "Debate there will continue to be, on your rank in the order. Over with, this issue is not."

"In the meantime," another master spoke up. "We have a mission for you. We know that you are close to Chancellor Palpatine. We would like you to inform us of any intentions that he has for the Jedi." Anakin's anger resurfaced once again with this request.

"You want me to spy on my friend?" he spit out. "You want me to betray his trust just to forewarn you of something that he will tell you possibly only a day later?" Again he directed his questions to Yoda.

"Tell us everything, the Chancellor does not," Master Yoda stated firmly. "Unanimous, this decision was. Over, this meeting is." With those words, Anakin stormed out of the room. Obi-wan excused himself and went after his former padawan.

"Anakin," he said as he tried to catch up to the man. Anakin ignored him, however, and continued down the hallway. "Anakin!" Obi wan shouted in exasperation. Anakin stopped at Obi wan's shout, but did not turn to face him.

"Why are you making me do this Master?" he asked angrily, finally turning around. "It is not right for me to spy on Palpatine. He may be a politician and he may not be a Jedi, but he is still a person. And he trusts me. The council is asking me to betray his trust! Does that not go against everything that the Jedi stand for?" Anakin was breathing heavily by the end of his rant. Obi wan took his pause as an opportunity to help calm him down.

"Anakin, the council would not ask this of you if they did not believe that it was necessary," Obi wan stated. "I know that they are asking something of you that you do not want to do, but you know you must listen to orders. Search your feelings, Anakin, and you will find that reporting back on Palpatine is the right thing to do." Anakin glared angrily at Obi wan before storming off.

"I see you still have the same infuriating affect on people as you used to," a female voice said from behind him. Obi wan turned around to see someone he hadn't seen in a long time: Siri Tachi.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: hey guys! Sorry this update took so long. I have been super busy with school and then was gone over the holidays.

Disclaimer: still don't own it.

Chapter 3: Anger Management

Anakin stormed away from Obi-wan; so angry, he was tempted to punch the wall. That would not solve his problems, though, only create more. Right now, the best thing for him to do to let his frustration out was to practice his saber techniques. If he was exercising, he would concentrate strictly on what he was doing and not on the turmoil that raged within him.

With that decision made, he headed straight for the training rooms. He did not pause once on the way to his goal. Once there, he immediately activated four training spheres as he pulled out his light saber. Immersing himself deep in the force, Anakin slowly let his anger slip away.

space

Obi-wan stared in shock for a few moments at the friend he had not seen in many years. Her hair was longer than when he'd last seen it and her eyes were hardened by years of war, but those slight changes in her appearance did not stop the familiar pang of longing he felt when near her. Noticing the smirk she sported, he quickly snapped out of his daze.

"As I recall, Master Tachi, it was you who usually infuriated people and then left me to deal with placating them," Obi-wan informed his long time friend as he raised his perfectly arched eyebrows. Siri raised her own eyebrows in return before laughing at the truthfulness in his statement. Obi-wan soon joined in, before walking over to her and giving her a hug.

"It is good to see you, Siri," he said as he pulled away. In reality, seeing her was something that was bittersweet. On the one hand, seeing her brought back all sorts of wonderful memories. On the other, it also brought back feelings that he had not dwelled on in a long time. _Nor do I plan to dwell on them_, he thought to himself.

"I haven't seen you in so long, Obi-wan. Life's been so boring with no one to pick on," she teased. He smiled as they fell into their age old banter. Walking together, they headed towards the gardens.

Space

_Kriff_, Anakin thought as he hurried to his speeder with the take out. _Kriff, kriff, kriff. I can't believe I'm late._ He had planned to be home with dinner by six. It was now six thirty. He had gotten so lost in the flow of his practice, that he had totally spaced on what time it was. Now he was rushing to Padmé's apartment, knowing she wouldn't mind his tardiness, but wishing he wasn't late anyway.

When he finally arrived home, she was out on the balcony. She looked beautiful, even though she was pregnant, probably more so because of it. She absolutely glowed with happiness and Anakin smiled when he saw her.

"You are so beautiful, my angel," he said as he walked up behind her. She turned to smile at him as he lifted up the bags of food. "I know we can't go out to eat, so I thought I would bring your favorite restaurant to you."

"Thank you, Ani. It's wonderful to have you home," she told him as they walked back inside. They set out the food and drank juice since Padmé couldn't drink wine. After they finished eating, they began to talk of the baby.

"I've been thinking, Ani," Padmé said as they sat together on their couch. "I want to have the baby on Naboo. I can go back about a month before the baby is due to prepare a nursery at the house out in the lake country. It'll be perfect. My only worry is that you won't be there when I give birth."

"I will be there for you Padmé," Anakin promised, grabbing one of her hands in both of his. "Nothing can keep me from being there for you or the baby." With that fervent statement, he leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. "You are the most important person in my life. Even the Chancellor could not convince me to stay away from you." As he leaned back, she smiled brilliantly at him and he couldn't help but smile back.

"On a lighter note, have you thought about any names you like?" Anakin asked, bringing some levity to the conversation.

"I have, but I haven't found any that I really like," she admitted. "What about you? I suppose you're going to suggest that if we have a boy we name him Anakin?" She tried to keep a straight face, but began to smile by the end of her teasing question. Anakin feigned hurt.

"I am deeply offended by your mocking tone, Senator," he gasped out. "Are you suggesting that my name is unfit for our son?"

"Of course not! I would only like to point out that there are now hundreds of children that are probably named Anakin after the Hero With No Fear," she said through her laughter.

"Well, I would hate for our son to have a common name!" Anakin stated. "Force forbid someone else in the galaxy should have the same name as our son." They shared a good laugh at that before Padmé sobered up.

"I've missed this Anakin," she told him quietly. "I've missed us."

"I have too, angel. There is nothing we can do about it but enjoy the moments we have in this time of war," Anakin said softly. He sighed. "I have to go back to the temple this weekend; Ahsoka is coming back from a mission with Master Koon."

"I understand, Ani," Padmé said comfortingly. "I am happy that you have taken on a padawan." Anakin looked at her quizzically.

"Why?" he asked. She smiled.

"By being her guardian, it has assured you of something I already knew," she told him. He raised his eyebrows in question. "that you will make a wonderful father."


End file.
